Actress Amy Amy Brenneman at the 2015 CHIMEaPalooza celebration. Photo courtesy of the CHIME Institute.

Luminaries from the performing arts community — from acclaimed actress Amy Brenneman to music legend Stephen Stills — are coming together this Saturday, March 5, to celebrate the CHIME Institute, a national model for inclusive education housed at CSUN.

In addition to Brenneman and Stills, those taking part in the annual CHIMEaPalooza to raise funds for the institute include celebrities Benjamin Bratt, Dave Annable and Jamie Kennedy, musical guests Chris Stills and Lisa Loeb, and author Jonathan Mooney.

The celebration is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at the El Portal Theatre, located at 11206 Weddington St. in North Hollywood.

“This amazing event allows us to share the CHIME Institute’s vision and mission with the larger community,” said Annie Cox, executive director of CHIME’s early education programs and one of the institute’s founders. “It shines the light on our educational programs and brilliantly represents the voices of all of the children — from those in infant and toddler program to those in eighth grade — and the families we serve. I’m thrilled and grateful for the support from so many talented people.”

Tickets are $60 pre-sale or $75 at the door. Ticket prices include a pre-show reception from 6 to 7 p.m., the show from 7 to 9 p.m. and a post-show party. To purchase tickets, visit www.chimeapalooza.org.

Established in 1990, the CHIME Institute is a national leader in developing and implementing model educational programs and dynamic research and training environments to disseminate best practices in inclusive education. The institute’s research and training center is housed in CSUN’s Michael D. Eisner College of Education.

Singer Tom Morello performing at the 2015 CHIMEaPalooza with children from CHIME. Photo courtesy of the CHIME Institute.

The institute began with an early childhood education program housed on the CSUN campus. The success of that program, coupled with the needs of the community and sound research, prompted a group of parents and CSUN faculty to develop a public charter elementary school in 2001 and a public charter middle school in 2003. The two schools merged into a K-8 school located in Woodland Hills in 2010.

Inclusive education at CHIME means that children who reflect the demographics of the surrounding regions learn side by side. CHIME’s model allows for the individual needs of each child to be addressed in a manner that enhances each child’s strength, while also providing educational progress.

CHIME also serves as a model for educators through its partnerships with the Eisner College and the Los Angeles Unified School District. It facilitates research opportunities and regularly hosts visitors from around the United States and the world who are interested in replicating its successes in their own schools. The institute has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a model for full inclusion of students with disabilities and for providing a blueprint for local schools across the country.

Proceeds from CHIMEaPalooza will go toward supporting inclusive practices in the institute’s early education programs and charter school. For more information about the CHIME Institute, call (818) 677-4979 or (818) 346-5200, or visit its website at www.chimeinstitute.org.

CHIME Institute, CHIMEapalooza, Michael D. Eisner College of Education